The Ring That Made the Spiral
by Theo 'Blitz' Leung
Summary: A golden tail ring, and a black spiral. The two are similar in so many ways, both devised by the same twisted mind. What does the Tail Ring do? Does it make Gatomon more powerful? Or does it do more then that?


The Ring That Made the Spiral ****

The Ring That Made the Spiral

By: Theodore 'Blitz' Leung

[Theoleung@sprint.ca][1]

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, that'd be cool, but that's just wishful thinking for me. Anyway, enjoy!

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Author's Note: Thanks to kale and Ghettosniper for helping me out with some info about this fic. I hope I can make this work.

It was dark, cold, bitter. The night sky was only blanketed with that of something darker then anyone could describe. Admit the blanket was a tiny form, shivering the darkness, afraid, lonely, but determined. Her tiny cat like form was on lying on the ground, though she made every feasible attempt to get up. Her determination was what got her this far in the first place, and she wasn't just going to give up now without a fight. No, she was searching...and she'll continue to search until she finds what she's looking for or until she dies trying.

The Salamon slowly got to her feet once more, groaning as her limbs ached. She was sore after her last three days of hard travel in the wasteland. She had no idea why she ventured out here, but she did anyway. Now, it might just cost her the life she searched with.

Salamon coughed once, her legs unable to support her body anymore. She slumped onto the ground once more, huffing.

"I...can't give up..." she hissed, squinting in pain as her limbs cried out in agony once more. She relaxed, exhaling, then falling into the dark world of unconsciousness.

* * * * * *

"What an interesting Digimon to find out here in the wastes," a voice spoke out. The Salamon twitched a bit upon hearing the tone, a tone that awakened her senses, and thus awakened her as well.

"I think she's still alive, boss," another voice spoke, probably an underling to the first. Salamon struggled to get up. A soft beating of tiny wings were near her. "Yep, she's still alive boss."

"Interesting," the first mused. The downed Digimon struggled once more to get up, trying to find the strength in her body to see whomever this is. "A Digimon with this kind of endurance and strength would be a fine addition to the army." Salamon got to her feet, though they shuddered under the weight of her body. Slowly, she raised her head, looking up at the one talking about her. She blinked once, her vision still a bit blurry.

"Those eyes..." the first voice muttered, surprised by the finding.

"What's the matter, boss?" the second asked, his bowling ball like feature hovering about the first one. Salamon could barely see anything, but she noticed those two distinct features first.

"Those eyes..." the first repeated again. There was a change from surprise to aggression in the voice.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!"

Hot energy slammed against Salamon's body, knocking her down. She was too weak to even cry in pain, let alone withstand an attack like that. She curled up into a ball upon landing, shaking in fear. She was too tired to look anymore, and even if she had the energy, she wouldn't want to look at that being anymore. The soft beating of wings was upon her again.

"She's not dead yet, boss," the second voice of the flying bowling ball.

"Take her back to the castle," the first ordered harshly. Salamon couldn't remain conscious anymore, her energy faded finally.

* * * * * *

Salamon slowly aroused from her unconscious state, groaning in pain. Her body ached now not from sore limbs, but from the searing energy that slashed across her side. The attack that was provoked just by her...

"My...eyes...?" Salamon thought, shaking the dizziness from her head. She glanced around, hoping not to get another jolt of Crimson Lightning down her spine.

The cell was damp and moist. Rays of moonlight filtered through the barred window, though were shadowed by the transparent dark clouds above. The solid stone bricks that made the cell were corroded with age. The bars and the door of the cell were rusted from time. Salamon suspected there would be a loud screeching noise if someone tried to open the door.

A soft breeze through the window sent a shiver down Salamon's back. She headed to the far corner of the cell and curled up into a ball to help save heat. It was going to be a long night.

"Why did I have to enter the wastes?" Salamon ask herself, curling up in ever closer to herself. "It's just going from bad to worse..." she muttered, closing her eyes. She shivered once more as another breeze came through.

* * * * * *

Just as foretold, the door for the cell screeched open, awakening Salamon instantly. She quickly looked up, recognizing the flying bowling ball.

"Rise and shine, the master doesn't like to find his subjects sleeping on the job," the flying Digimon spoke. Salamon recognized it as the same voice from the day before, the day she was taken captive. In the middle of the cell now was a small bowl of water and some bread, most likely stale.

"And why should I listen to you?" Salamon hissed, getting to her feet. Her fur was coated in black liquid, most likely from who knows what in the stone floors. The bat like bowling ball Digimon shrugged, slamming the door shut with an equally ear piercing screech.

"Hey, boss! She's got a lot of spunk!" Salamon heard the Digimon yell down the hallway, though she only heard the echo.

Salamon stared at the food and water before her. She wanted to refuse the 'breakfast', but her stomach growled and her throat was parched. She stared more at the two items, trying to overcome it. In the end, her instincts won out, and she headed over and began to feed on the two items. Just as predicted, the bread was stale, though some food was better then none.

"Enjoying your meal?" he asked. Salamon recognized the voice as the one in charge from the day before. By the time he came, she was already finished the bread and downing what was left of the water.

"I'm sure she had a marvelous time with it," the flying Digimon remark sarcastically. Salamon looked up at the two, determined not to show fear. Salamon recognized the leader as a sort of vampire, with a black cloak, a mask that covered his eyes. That was about as much as she saw.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!"

The blood red whip of energy lashed out at Salamon, throwing her against the wall, her body pressed between the two for a few seconds before the whip subsided. Salamon slid down the wall, an impression left in the wall.

"Don't _ever _look at me with those eyes," he growled, a completely change of mood from his previous state. Salamon groaned, creeping back up to her feet and looking up again, defiance in her heart.

"She's looking, boss," the bowling ball Digimon spoke slyly. Salamon reeled back and braced for the next Crimson Lightning, throwing her against the wall again. She slid down the wall again, crying in pain. A third Crimson Lightning lashed across her back, forcing another cry from her. A fourth energy whip picked her up and threw her against the other wall mercilessly. The last attack left a bloody impression in the wall, a trail leading down to the fallen Salamon when she was back on the ground.

"DemiDevimon, clean up this mess," the vampire ordered, leaving the confines of the cell, as well as three impressions against the walls, one bloody from the blood of a Salamon. Once more, the Salamon was unconscious.

* * * * * *

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," DemiDevimon ordered in the ear of the fallen Digimon. Salamon cringed at the voice, slowly opening her eyes. Her bones now felt worse then ever before in her travels, and she knew it was with good reason. A quick glance around saw that her blood was washed from the walls as well as her back.

"Stupid bowling ball," Salamon hissed, rising to her feet, albeit weakly.

"What'd ya say?!" DemiDevimon shouted, though not taking the wounded Digimon seriously. Salamon looked up again, noticing the cell door still open. The flying bat Digimon underestimated the wounded one.

"I…have to keep…searching…" Salamon huffed. DemiDevimon flapped in front of Salamon. He was about to ask what she meant, but was promptly batted out of the way by the paw of a wounded Digimon. He was knocked against the wall with more force then thought of from a severely wounded Digimon. The bat groaned in pain, slowly opening his eyes, finding himself upside-down against the wall. When he scanned the cell, the prisoner was gone.

"Uh-oh…" DemiDevimon gasped, knowing what would come to him if the prisoner did escape.

* * * * * *

Salamon dashed out of the jail area of the castle with unknown energy in her legs. Despite how sore she was, she wouldn't stop running. She couldn't.

"Come back here you rascal!" DemiDevimon shouted from far behind, though he would catch up soon unless Salamon could find a way to lose him. In her wounded state, she couldn't run as fast as she'd like to. Her path was separated by three routes: left, right, and straight. Without thought, she took the left path, hoping it would get her pursuit off her.

The next bend landed her smack against the boots of a tall figure. She looked up, then gasped.

"Come back here…" DemiDevimon was now behind Salamon, though he halted in his spot. "Err…Myotismon…"

"You let the prisoner escape," Myotismon hissed at the flying bowling ball. DemiDevimon cringed at the voice, expecting a Crimson Lightning to swat him out of the sky, or to be attacked by the master's horde of bats. During the distraction, Salamon slipped between Myotismon's legs, running off and hoping to get away before she was noticed. She got twenty paces away from the two.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!"

Salamon was swept of her feet as another one of those energy whips crashed into her form. The attack knocked her up into the air and back onto the stone ground with a resounding thud, if not cracking her bones, coming close to doing so. Nevertheless, she got back to her feet, unwilling to give up yet.

"Those eyes..." Myotismon thought, curling a hand into a fist.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!"

Salamon held her ground, not giving in to the fear that confronted her. She won't let this Digimon stop her from her goal, she couldn't. Her determination sparked strong in her heart.

"Salamon...Digivolve to...Gatomon!"

In the last split second, Gatomon back flipped out of the way of the sweeping whip of energy. Before the vampire Digimon could recover, she leaped upon him.

"LIGHTNING CLAW!"

The attack was powerful enough to send the Ultimate level Digimon to the ground, taken completely off guard by the sudden surge of energy. Myotismon fell to the ground with a thud, to dumbstruck to yell.

From the resulting attack, Gatomon glanced around quickly, noticed the few windows lining the corridor and leaped out the closest one.

* * * * * *

Gatomon sat beside a small campfire, legs curled up to her chest. Across from her was a lone Wizardmon, unconscious from a long trip. Gatomon herself didn't recall what happened over the last few hours. All she knew was that she continued to run and run and run away from the castle. She wouldn't let anyone stop her from searching, she couldn't. Her determination got her this far, and she was determined to fight to the end.

The Wizardmon groaned softly, awakening. Gatomon remembered a small village of Digimon, and in that village where no one helped this fallen Wizardmon, she stepped forward and offered him some water. The Digimon drank with a parched throat, then fell unconscious once more. The escaping Digimon decided herself she needed a break, and made camp at the outskirts of the village.

"You're up," Gatomon spoke when Wizardmon was up.

"Y-You...helped me?" Wizardmon asked, sitting back down and facing the campfire.

"It was nothing," Gatomon replied, sighing. "But I have to get going soon. I'm searching...I'm searching for someone special...I don't know who...but I have to keep searching..."

"Searching...?" Wizardmon asked, wrapping his cape a bit closer. Even with the fire, the wind was still harshly cold.

"I can't really say...just that it doesn't concern you," Gatomon answered, standing up. "I'm off now...I can't stay in one place for long...I'm being hunted..." Wizardmon was about to protest, noting the falling sun. Gatomon didn't listen, just dashed off into the distance to keep searching. Her naked tail waved back to Wizardmon, as a sign of saying 'goodbye' to her new friend.

* * * * * *

It was a few months since Wizardmon meet Gatomon. He trekked around aimlessly for a place to call home, or for the friend that he knew only for a few moments. Strange how the winds of fate act, and even stranger was how the meeting took place.

The travels Wizardmon took eventually led him to a small city with various Digimon. A commotion from inside caught his attention, as small legion of Digimon headed out. The second last Digimon was a Raremon, the last being a Gatomon.

"Gatomon...?" Wizardmon gasped, wondering if this was the same Gatomon that helped him so long ago.

"_I'm being hunted..._" Those words were engraved into Wizardmon's mind, and knew the Digimon would stay clear from such locations. Nevertheless, he was hopeful. Gatomon looked over towards the observing Wizardmon

"Wizardmon..." she whispered. "I have no time for a reunion...my master is waiting..." she told him bitterly, quickly going to catch up to the line of Digimon. Her tail waved, but not in the friendly gesture from before. On her tail was a small golden tail ring.

"It's the same one," Wizardmon thought, holding his staff tightly. "But she's not the same. What happened to her?" Wizardmon wouldn't let a Digimon that went out of her way to help another Digimon just go away without repaying the debt. He felt the time to repay the debt was now, and decided to join the ranks of Digimon.

* * * * * *

Myotismon's thoughts were very muddled inside the head of Owikawa. It's been a few days since his defeat at the hands of the Digi-Destined, even in his Mega form. His main concern was why the golden tail ring he gave Gatomon didn't contain her. The ring was a perfect instrument of control, surpressing memories.

"There wasn't enough control," Myotismon thought. He knew Owikawa couldn't hear anything he was saying, but he could read the person like an open book. This will be very useful if he wished to become resurrected. "Repressed memories will slowly arise. I knew I shouldn't have allowed that Wizardmon to come with us to the Real World. It only broke the control I held over Gatomon."

He closed his 'eyes', imagining what to do. "I need full control over a Digimon. Leaving a Digimon in charge of their own freedom will only result in mutiny." An image of a black ring that could fit around an appendage came to his mind. The vampire 'grinned', knowing the perfect instrument to assert control.

Fin

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Author's Note:

I don't remember what Gatomon and Wizardmon said in their exchange during that campfire, so I just thought I did what was right. Oh well...like I said before, I hope you enjoy this fic, though it seemed like it could be more...

   [1]: mailto:Theoleung@sprint.ca



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